Comparison

Chess ∙ vs Chess

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Chess ∙

Experience a visually appealing and engaging chess game on your iPhone and iPod Touch. Play against friends or a customizable AI opponent with features like undo and automatic saving. Enjoy a free, ad-supported experience.

Highlights
  • 1 and 2 player gameplay
  • Challenging computer opponent
  • Great graphics and sound
  • Configurable difficulty
  • Undo function
  • Automatic save
Features
Read full description

Are you tired of playing chess games that look like they were designed for a Commodore 64 instead of an iPhone? We've got the antidote for you. Chess Free is the best chess game for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it's free! Chess Free supports both 1 player and 2 player gameplay, so you can play against friends or test your skills against a challenging computer opponent. Chess Free offers a host of exciting features, including: * Great graphics and exciting sound effects * Configurable player names and score tracking * Outstanding AI engine with configurable difficulty level * Board rotation for two player games * Undo function * Automatic save when you get a phone call or exit the application Chess Free is supported by unobtrusive banner advertising. Chess Premium is the same great app without the ads.

About

Chess

Practice chess and enhance your strategic thinking with this classic board game app. It offers multiple difficulty levels to play against the computer, a two-player offline mode, and over 1,000 tactical puzzles to solve. Review your games to learn from mistakes and improve your skills.

Highlights
  • Play against computer with 10 difficulty levels
  • Two-player offline mode
  • Over 1,000 chess puzzles
  • Create custom puzzles
  • Game review and analysis
  • 2D and 3D board styles
Features
Read full description

Chess is a classic intellectual board game enjoyed by millions of players around the world. This app helps you practice chess, improve your thinking skills, sharpen tactics, and develop visual memory — anytime, anywhere. Key Features • Play against the computer Choose from 10 difficulty levels, from beginner to very challenging opponents. • Two-player offline mode Play locally with friends on the same device. • Chess puzzles Solve over 1,000 carefully selected puzzles to improve tactical awareness and calculation. • Create your own puzzles Set up positions freely and challenge yourself, friends, or the computer to find the best move. • Game review Review played games to learn from mistakes and improve future performance. • Multiple board styles Switch between clean 2D and immersive 3D chess boards. This chess app is suitable for beginners and experienced players alike. We continuously improve the experience and welcome all feedback.

Screenshots

Chess ∙4 screens
Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess ∙ at none against Chess's 4. Chess ∙ also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (205K vs 32). Chess's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (83% vs 57%). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chess sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Chess ∙ asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chess ∙ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chess ∙ has 205K ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Chess ∙'s written reviews are positive against 83% of Chess's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, Chess monthly. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Chess ∙ versus Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChess ∙Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (205K ratings) — better4.1 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews56.9% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings205K — better32
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#91 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB178 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOptime Software LLCVan Kien Bui

Customer experience

Chess ∙

All ratings204,953 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews2,579 reviews
Positive56.9%
Neutral7.1%
Negative36.1%

Chess

All ratings32 ratings
Positive78.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Chess ∙

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Rook being able to move diagonally
  • Stalemate glitch where it will preemptively call stalemate before it even happens
  • Call stalemate when only the king can't move, and the other pieces can still move
  • Pieces move too fast
  • Doesn't allow en-passant moves by pawns
Show 5 more
  • Refuses to allow legitimate win, claims draw instead
  • Doesn't recognize stalemate
  • Doesn't recognize checkmate
  • Pieces disappearing
  • Illegal moves by the AI

Requested features

6 requests
  • Undo from stalemate
  • Highland opponents last move in green and my last move in blue
  • Allow a third level of zoom to fill the screen
  • Display a numeric value when difficulty slider is moved
  • Ability to turn off safety where you can't move king to where it would get taken out
Show 1 more
  • Ability to turn off draw by stalemate rule

Chess

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Chess ∙

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Chess

One-time4
  • 10 Hints Pack$0.99
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • 50 Hints Pack$2.99
Show 1 more
  • 150 Hints Pack$6.99

Questions

Is Chess ∙ free?
Chess ∙ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chess free?
Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chess ∙ or Chess?
Chess ∙ is rated higher. Chess ∙ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 205K ratings, while Chess averages 4.1 from 32 ratings.
Do Chess ∙ or Chess have ads?
Chess ∙ shows ads; Chess does not.
Which is updated more often, Chess ∙ or Chess?
Chess ∙ ships an update every 4 months, and Chess monthly. Most recently, Chess ∙ was updated on September 29, 2026 and Chess on September 29, 2026.

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